Silchester
a village in the extreme N. of Hampshire, England; 7 miles N. of Basingstoke; is famous for the remains of the ancient Romano-British town of Caer Segeint, called by the Romans Calleva, and by the West Saxons astr Silceastre. The chief visible remains are the amphitheater, 50 yards by 40, and the walls, 2,760 yards in length; excavations have shown the foundations of a basilica, the forum, a temple, baths, etc.; and coins, seals, rings, and much broken pottery have been found. New excavations were begun in June, 1890, by the Society of Antiquaries and by 1910 most of the old town was uncovered.
SILESIA (German, Schlesien), a territory of Central Europe, formerly di- SILESIA (German, Schlesien), a tervided politically between Prussia and Austria. Prussian Silesia, the largest of the Prussian provinces, was bounded E. territories, W. and N. by Saxony and Brandenburg; area, 15,566 square miles.
The province is intersected by branches is level toward Brandenburg and Posen, and though in parts marshy and sandy is yet fertile. The principal river is the Oder. Silesia produces corn, beet-root, and tolerable wines. The mountainous parts yield timber and afford good pasand tolerable wines. The mountainous parts yield timber and afford good pasclude iron, copper, lead, silver, coal, sulclude iron, copper, lead, silver, coal, sulin several places. Linen, lace, cotton, and woolen goods, and leather, glass, earthenware and iron ware are the chief manufactures. Silesia was divided into three ware and iron ware are the chief manufactures. Silesia was divided into three iscite held in March, 1921, a majority of the people of Upper Silesia elected to remain German, rather than join Poland.
Silesia was annexed to Poland in the the people of Upper Silesia elected to it became independent, and was governed by three dukes of the royal house of Piast. it became independent, and was governed independent dukes reigned in Silesia at one time, and ruined the country by their At the beginning of the 14th century 17 Poland it acknowledged the sovereignty of the Bohemian kings. In 1675 the ducal line of Piast became extinct, and the country was incorporated in the Austrian dominions. In 1740 Frederick II. of Pruson old agreements to which effect had sia laid claim to part of Silesia (based never been given), and in 1763, at the on old agreements to which effect had close of the Seven Years' War, a great part of Silesia was ceded to Prussia. Pop. about 5,225,900. By the Peace Treaty of square miles of Prussian and Austrian 1919, Czecho-Slovakia obtained 1,996 Silesia with a population of 608,128.
On October 20, 1921, the Council of the League of Nations defined the Upper Silesian boundary. Germany retained the north and west, but Poland, in the counimportant part of the mining district.